Pressure casting device for casting hollow products

ABSTRACT

A casting device and process wherein molten material is forced by gravity and pressure into the forming mold where it is cooled and solidified by cold water in a surrounding envelope. The casting device may be mounted on wheels to enable successive pourings into adjacent forms.

United, States Patent Fink 1 51 Oct. 17, 1972 [54] PRESSURE CASTING DEVICE FOR 3,451,594 6/1969 Stewart ..l64/28l CASTING HOLLOW PRODUCTS 3,478,814 11/1969 Laffin ..l64/281 3 422 648 1/1969 Lemelson ..72/468 X l t.li E.Flk,925PkRd,El m] ,13% 73902 3,620,285 11/1971 OISSOD ..164/282 x [22] Filed: Feb. 26, 1970 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [21] Appl. No.: 14,276 1,399,620 4/1965 France ..164/85 245,817 2/1964 Netherlands ..164/85 [52] US. Cl. Ilsa/123801,: 6i l/8356, 1166411131292, Primary Examiner j Spencer overholser 151 1111. c1. .3221] 27/14 Rwhe' [58] Field of Search ..l64/82, 85, 113, 119, 120, welss whllesel 323, 324, 329, 335, 336, 337, 281 7] ABSTRACT A casting device and process wherein molten material [56] Rderences cued is forced by gravity and pressure into the forming UNITED STATES PATENTS mold where it is cooled and solidified by cold water in a surrounding envelope. The casting device may be 3,375,107 3/1968 K'anz "164/82 X mounted on wheels to enable successive pourings into 3,340,926 9/1967 Sylvester ..l64/323 adjacent forms 3,435,878 1/1969 Howard et al. ..l64/l 19 3,410,333 10/1968 Woodburn ..l64/85 X 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDum 11 I972 \NVENTOR IRVING E FINK ATTORNEYS FIGA PRESSURE CASTING DEVICE FOR CASTING HOLLOW PRODUCTS My invention relates to casting devices, and more particularly to a device for molding metal, or the like, into tubes, channels, angles, or the like.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a device that forms the molten metal, and cools it during the forming process, to have it assume a permanent form, shape, or contour.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device, that is designed to apply air pressure for feeding the molten metal to the form and core.

A further object of my invention is to provide a process for molding metal or the like under pressure and to cool the molten metal while it is being formed, to retain its shape.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device that is designed to use gravity, due to its vertical construction, to retain the formed product in alignment.

It is manifest to anyone familiar with the art of molding and forming materials, that the molten metal, or material, must be shaped and solidified, to provide the finished product. The device illustrated, described, and claimed herein, permits any object to be longitudinally shaped and solidified during the process of pouring the molten material from a cupula, or the like.

The device is simple in construction, and is applicable to any form, or shape of material constituting a product.

Other and further objects of my invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1, is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of the assembled device, designed to form a tube.

FIG. 2, is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the device with a core, for forming a tube as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3, is a similar view as shown in FIG. 2, arranged for forming an angle, and

FIG. 4, is a similar view as shown in FIG. 3, arranged for forming a conventional "l" beam.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts and features, throughout the several views, and referring now to the same, the character 10, identifies in general, a hopper for accommodating the molten material such as metal, shown as 11. The molten material enters the hopper at 12, which may be equipped with a manually or automatically operated gate valve or the like (not shown).

The upper face of the hopper 10, is shown equipped with an air inlet 13. The air entering the hopper 10 may be controlled by a valve 14 in the tube 15, which tube leads from a conventional air pressure tank (not shown).

The hopper 10 is shown tapered at 16 to provide an outlet shown as 17 extending downwardly into a cooling envelope or jacket portion 18 which may be con structed integral with the hopper l0, and provided with a chamber 19, for cold water, or the like. The chamber 19 is equipped with an inlet opening 20, and an outlet opening 21, which inlets and outlets are in the form of tubes, or pipes, shown as 22 and 23 respectively. The inlet pipe 22 is shown equipped with a valve 24, and the outlet tube 23 is shown equipped with a valve 25.

The inside wall of the cooling jacket 18, is shown as 26, and is relatively thin to permit the cold water 19 to radiate more freely.

Centrally disposed in the hopper 10, is a core 27 suspended at 28 from the top of the hopper 10. This core 27 extends downward through the cooling jacket 18, and is shown of a diameter smaller than the cylindrical opening formed by the thin inner wall 26 of the cooling jacket 18. Thus, there is a space between the core 27 and wall 26. When the molten metal 11 in the hopper 10, passes through the opening 17, and is solidified due to the cooling caused by the cold water in the enclosure 19, a tube 29 is formed in the space.

The core 27 is shown in varied diameter reductions 30 and 30, and may be raised and lowered hydraulically if desired.

As the molten metal 11 is forced downward by the compressed air entering at 13, it will leave the outlet 17 of the hopper 10 and pass through the space 29 forming a tube as it is solidified by the cold water in the chamber or enclosure 19. As the solidified tube 29 is forced downward, it will enter the casing 31 which may be of any predetermined length.

When all the metal formed into a tube has left the hopper 10, a conventional damper plate shown as 32 may be slidably moved in position to close the bottom of the cooling portion 18, after the reductions 30 and 30' of the core are raised as shown in phantom. lf desired the solidified tube may be cut by means of a saw, or electric welding means at the point shown as 33.

The entire assembled device may be equipped with members 34, equipped with rollers 35, guided by rails 36, mounted onto the surface 37, which supports a plu rality of casings 31, so the assembled device may be moved from one casing to another.

Although the description of the device and its performance described involves the production of a tube, the core 27 may be eliminated and the inner wall 26 of the cooling enclosure 19 may be formed to produce angles as shown in FIG. 3, or 1" beams as shown in FIG. 4, or any other desired shape, the prime function of the device being to solidify molten metal, or the like, by cooling it as it leaves the hopper.

Although I have shown a specific construction of the parts and details constituting my invention, 1 am fully cognizant of the fact that many changes in the parts and features may be made without effecting the operativeness of the device, and I reserve the rights to make such changes without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by letters patent in the United States is:

1. A casting device for forming articles from molten material,

said device comprising hopper means for receiving molten material,

means for maintaining pressure on said molten material in said.hopper,

a molten material outlet means on said hopper enabling said molten material to pass from said hopper,

cooling jacket means for cooling said molten material as it passes from said hopper,

said cooling jacket having inner wall means formed to define the outer periphery of the articles as the molten material hardens into a desired shape,

means for altering the shape of said outlet means at a point where said metal is molten and before said metal is chilled by said coolingjacket,

said cooling jacket means comprising an outer wall spaced apart from said inner wall to form a water jacket,

jacket inlet means enabling cold water to enter said waterjacket,

jacket outlet means horizontally spaced apart from said inlet means to enable said water to fill the entire jacket and maintain a constant flow of said water in said jacket for said cooling,

said means for altering the shape of said outlet means comprising inner core means,

said inner core means defining a closed space extending through said hopper and the closed space of said cooling jacket to form the inner peripheral boundaries of the articles,

a damper plate provided at the bottom of said water jacket to close the space defined by said inner wall in said water jacket to thereby prevent any further expansion from said waterjacket of said casting article,

and said hopper and water jacket means being mounted on wheels,

a plurality of easing means for receiving the solid article being cast as it is forced from the waterjacket by pressure in the hopper on the molten material,

said wheels enabling the casting device to be moved into alignment with each of said casing means, whereby the cast articles can be extended through each of said casings.

2. The casting device of claim 1 wherein said means for maintaining pressure comprises an air pressure inlet means on said hopper,

and wherein said hopper is mounted vertically so that gravity also pushes the molten material from said hopper through said molten material outlet. 

1. A casting device for forming articles from molten material, said device comprising hopper means for receiving molten material, means for maintaining pressure on said molten material in said hopper, a molten material outlet means on said hopper enabling said molten material to pass from said hopper, cooling jacket means for cooling said molten material as it passes from said hopper, said cooling jacket having inner wall means formed to define the outer periphery of the articles as the molten material hardens into a desired shape, means for altering the shape of said outlet means at a point where said metal is molten and before said metal is chilled by said cooling jacket, said cooling jacket means comprising an outer wall spaced apart from said inner wall to form a water jacket, jacket inlet means enabling cold water to enter said water jacket, jacket outlet means horizontally spaced apart from said inlet means to enable said water to fill the entire jacket and maintain a constant flow of said water in said jacket for said cooling, said means for altering the shape of said outlet means comprising inner core means, said inner core means defining a closed space extending through said hopper and the closed space of said cooling jacket to form the inner peripheral boundaries of the articles, a damper plate provided at the bottom of said water jacket to close the space defined by said inner wall in said water jacket to thereby prevent any further expansion from said water jacket of said casting article, and said hopper and water jacket means being mounted on wheels, a plurality of casing means for receiving the solid article being cast as it is forced from the water jacket by pressure in the hopper on the molten material, said wheels enabling the casting device to be moved into alignment with each of said casing means, whereby the cast articles can be extended through each of said casings.
 2. The casting device of claim 1 wherein said means for maintaining pressure comprises an air pressure inlet means on said hopper, and wherein said hopper is mounted vertically so that gravity also pushes the molten material from said hopper through said molten material outlet. 